Norad Academy
by Swag Giraffe
Summary: Norad Academy, a boarding school for aspiring young men and women. An AU SYOC story for ALL RF games. Details inside! [OC Submissions: Closed!] Rated T for safety. Please R & R! :)
1. Intro and Form

**Okay, so don't kill me, guys. O.o I know I have a bunch of other stories I should be doing (I am, I promise!), but this one popped into my head yesterday and won't leave until I start it. ^^ Hehe. So, enjoy the chapter, submission deets are at the bottom.**

**I hope you all like it~! ^v^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Rune Factories, just my OC and this AU plotline.**

* * *

A girl flipped her light blue hair over her shoulder, causing the knee length locks to tangle a little. She looked at the building in front of her and took a deep breath. "Alright, I'm goin' in!" And with that, Lorena made her way, for the first time, into Norad Academy.

She walked through the halls, which were, strangely, empty. "Huh?" She wandered in for a bit before finding herself in front of an office, labeled "Principal Nolan".

She knocked gently, and heard a deep, gentle voice answer, "come in."

Lorena entered energetically, curtsying. "I'm sorry to bother you, Principal Nolan…"

The man smiled kindly, "ah, you must be one of the new students. What's your name, and which class are you entering, dear?"

Lorena smiled cheerfully, "Lorena, sir, and I'm entering the Selphia Class. I wanna be a butler~!"

Nolan chuckled, "well then, let me take you there, Lorena."

The girl squealed, "thank you, sir!"

He smiled kindly, "it's not a problem, dear. Come, right this way."

And with that, the tall man stood and led the excited girl down the hallway, to a door that said 'Selphia Dormitory - Female'. "

Here we are, this is where you will be staying. You're in room 427 with a couple other girls, they're expecting you." The principal smiled as he continued, "do you need help with your luggage?"

Lorena shook her head, "I'm fine, thanks. See you later!"

And then she pulled open the door and hurried through, dragging her suitcase behind her.

Nolan smiled inwardly. There were so many new arrivals, that soon Norad Academy would be fit to burst! The Kardia Class, well known for being the populars, the Alvarna Class, known for their great grades. The Trampoli Class, known for excelling in extra-curricular activities, the Sharance Class, known for slacking off a bit, the Fenith Class, known for their cooking skills and quirky students, and the Selphia Class, known for their combat skills and friendliness. Each class roomed separately from each other, divided into guys and girls, and they took joint classes most of the time. It would be interesting to see what kinds of students would be enrolling this year. Whomever it may be, things were sure to be exciting.

* * *

**OC SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED. (Oh, and I decided not to post the roomie chart here. Maybe eventually, on my profile... ^^)**

**Okay, so here's the gig. This isn't just a high school fic, it's more like a boarding school, thus not as modern. Your OC can be in any class, and have a crush on any character from that class or another. Now, here are da rules about dat... in the Trampoli and Kardia Classes, I will be mixing the girls up that are in both games. Sorry ladies, only one Raguna! XD Your OC can have an interest in any bachelorette, bachelor, protagonist, townsboy, townsgirl (both of which are of an appropriate age), but not any adults, children, or second gen kids from RF2. And no yaoi/yuri, or your OC will be instantly rejected! So here is the form, I'll put the taken love interest list at the bottom, and try to update it as more people get taken. NOTE: I need guys and girls, so both would be great~! ^^**

**Okay, so each user can submit up to two OCs. You can PM me, which I prefer, with the title 'OC for Norad Academy', [Edit: Whoops, I accidentally put the working title in there instead of the real one. Fixed now~! ^^ Sorry!] or you can review. I will PM you if your OC(s) get(s) chosen, but I'll be accepting a lot, so it(they) probably will. ^^ I will accept guest reviews as well, since I remember my first OC submission was as a guest, and how much I loved that the author let me. :D If you want to know if your OC is chosen, guests, check this chapter, I'll tell you at the bottom. ^^**

**Okee doke, so here's the form! **

**Name:**

**Nickname(s): (Optional)**

**Gender: **

**Race: (Elf, earthmate, dwarf, human, etc.)**

**Age: (Preferably between 15-21)**

**Birthday:**

**Appearance: (Be descriptive!)**

**Notable Features:**

**Personality:**

**Flaws: **

**Fears/Weaknesses: (Oops, I meant must include fears! XD Hehe.)**

**Likes:**

**Dislikes: **

**Why Have They Come To NA?:**

**Which Class Are They In?: (Kardia, Alvarna, Trampoli, Sharance, Fenith, Selphia.)  
**

**What Do They Want To Major In?:**

**Specialties/Strengths:**

**Clothing: (Casual 1, Casual 2 (Optional), Formal, Pajamas, Bathing Suit.)**

**Friends: (Can be from any class.)**

**Enemies/Rivals: (Again, any class.)**

**Roomies: (Has to be people of the same gender in the same class. I might also put other OCs with them. So don't put too many! ^^)**

**Love Interest: (I will accept OCxOC and CCxOC pairings. No yaoi/yuri, I will not accept those OCs. Love interests taken are listed at the bottom of this A/N.)**

**Relationship With Love Interest: (i.e. best friends, classmates, admirer from afar, boy/girlfriend, etc., you can pick, just please don't make them related, that's too weird…)**

**Family: (I will accept [in moderation] OCs with Canon siblings. If they're siblings with another one of your OCs or one of your friend's OCs, then that's okay too. ^^)**

**Weapon They Use: (If any. Spells count)**

**School Fests That They Are Good At: (i.e. Any of the festivals from the games, they'll just be… schoolified. XD)**

**Any Special Events?: (Optional)**

**Extra Info:**

**And I can't think of anythin' else right now... XD Heehee. List of taken crushes is below~! OH! And I wanted to say [spoiler alert!] I will be having Venti in this story, in her human form. And yes, she is available as a love interest. ^^**

**Taken Love Interests: Arthur (Selphia), Doug (Selphia), Melody (Kardia), Erik (Trampoli), Brodik (Trampoli), Dylas (Selphia), Kiel (Selphia), Mist (Kardia), Leon (Selphia), Vishnal (Selphia), Clorica (Selphia), Sofia (Sharance), Gaius (Sharance), Amber (Selphia), Kross (Trampoli), Zaid (Sharance), Forte (Selphia), Xiao Pai (Selphia), Aden (Fenith), Violet (Fenith), Kyle (Alvarna), Barrett (Alvarna), Bismark (Fenith), Raguna (Trampoli), Selphy (Trampoli).  
**

**Oh, and this is JUST a suggestion, I know Selphia's awesome and all, (yeah, best class right thar. Jk!), but I would love some OCs for other classes as well. ^^ However, this does not mean submissions for Selphia are closed, by any means, if that's what you really want, go ahead! :D And remember, your OC's love interest CAN be from a different class. ^v^**

**Eventually I will be posting the roomie chart, and I haven't quite decided how to do that, but I will try to make everyone room with who they want to. ^^**

**Reviews are loved and appreciated. ^^**

**Enjoy, and please send in OCs~! ^^**

**~Swaggy-chan**


	2. The Tour Begins!

**Hello world! **

**Heehee, here is the first actual chapter, and I really hope you guys like it! Not all the OCs will debut in this chapter, but don't worry, they'll all appear soon! :) I will post an OC disclaimer list at the bottom, and submissions are still open. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Rune Factories or many of these OCs. I do, however, own my OC, Lorena. **

**Enjoy~!**

* * *

Lorena gazed at the number on the closed door for a couple minutes before her impatient personality got the better of her and she knocked loudly. _I wonder what they're like?! Eek, can't wait!_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door opening, and a girl with silvery brown hair stood, beaming, in the entryway. "Hi! You must be our new room mate, yes?"

Lorena nodded, "yes!"

The shorted girl giggled and held out a hand. "I'm Xiao Pai! What's your name?"

The bluenette reached out and shook Xiao's hand energetically. "I'm Lorena!"

Xiao cocked her head, "I swear I've heard that name before… a-anyway, come in!" She stepped aside and waved Lorena towards the room.

The new student entered the dorm and gasped. It was huge! The room was a sitting room with a little kitchenette in the corner, and several doors branching off, which she assumed led to bedrooms and bathrooms.

"Hey there, you must be one of the new roomies." A blonde girl smiled at Lorena from her seat on a sofa.

"Yup~! I'm Lorena!" She grinned cheerfully, and the ponytailed girl stood.

"Lorena, hm? Where have I heard that name… well, my name is Forte. It's nice to meet you, Lorena."

Forte shook Lorena's hand, then called into the other room, "hey girls, get in here - we have a new roomie!"

Three girls came out of one of the bedrooms, and Lorena smiled. "Hi!"

The first one, a short girl with dark violet hair pulled back into a poofy braid blinked her periwinkle eyes shyly. "Uh, hi…"

Another girl, who had long pale pink pigtails and lazy looking mauve eyes had an almost cold expression on her face. "Hello."

The third girl had silver hair and blue eyes, and was wearing a very odd outfit, it almost looked like a gothic angel costume. She puffed out her chest importantly and declared, "I am Ventuswill, the Divine Wind!"

After Lorena giggled and all the other girls sighed, Ventuswill threw her arms up, "seriously, guys? I was hoping for more of a response… ugh, whatever. You can call me Venti, roomie~!"

Lorena giggled, "thanks! You all can call me Lolli!"

The four girls nodded, and Xiao grinned, "it seems I like that nickname, yes?"

Lorena giggled as Forte said, "well, since these two didn't introduce themselves, I'll do it for them. Lolli, meet Ecila and Dolce."

The violet haired girl smiled timidly, wagging her pale fingers. "H-Hi…"

Dolce looked bored as she shrugged at Lorena, "hey."

The blue haired newbie patted her suitcase, "so, could you guys show me where I'll be sleeping?"

Venti giggled, "oops, guess we should. Come with me, Lolli! So, these dorms are more like suites, actually, and you'll be in the bedroom with moi~! Xiao Pai and Dolce share a bedroom, and Forte and Cilly, oops, that's what we call Ecila, share a bedroom. I've been waiting to see what my very own roommate would be like, and I think you'll do just fine!"

Lorena chuckled nervously, "uh, thanks, I think…"

When the shorter girl pushed open the door to their shared bedroom, Lorena gasped. It was fairly spacious, with two beds. The walls were painted a sky blue, and the side where Venti obviously slept was decorated with posters of dragons and photographs of golden vegetables. The other end of the room was empty, save for the lone twin bed, writing desk and bureau.

"Welp, that's your side!" Venti pointed to the lonely area, and Lorena grinned. "It's lovely, thanks Venti!"

The silver haired girl smiled, "yes, I'm amazing, aren't I? Heehee, just kidding~! I'll give you some time to settle in." And with that, she hopped out of the room.

Lorena giggled as she plopped her suitcase on her bed. "Oof! This thing's heavy… now, I'll just put this stuff away." She pulled out all her extra clothing and laid it neatly in the drawers, then put a picture frame, a fuzzy paperweight and a plastic container of cupcakes on the desk.

"There, that should do it for now!" She nodded emphatically and skipped from the room.

Upon entering the living room, she saw the other girls sitting around on sofas. "Hey, Lolli, want a tour?" Forte asked kindly.

"Oh yes, please!" Lorena jumped up and down excitedly. "Thanks, Forte!"

Dolce chuckled, "she's like a mix of Amber, Mist and Venti… this'll be an interesting year."

Xiao Pai giggled, and Venti declared, "if she's anything like me, that's what this school needs!"

Ecila spoke up timidly, "uh-huh, sure, Venti…"

Everyone laughed, and Forte stood, waving to Lorena. "C'mon then, Lorena, let me show you around. Beware, this could take a while."

The tall girl nodded, "it's okay. I'm ready!"

Her tour guide chuckled, "well then, we're off! See you girls later!"

Her suitemates all called farewells to them, the most noticeable being Venti. "If you see that Doug kid, I'm sure Cilly wants to hear all about him~!"

The quiet girl protested weakly as Forte and her new charge exited, the latter giggling.

"What's so funny?"

Lorena shrugged, "well, they're just so funny! I think he was right - I'm gonna like it here."

Forte smiled as they walked down the corridor a bit, "so, what are you majoring in, Lolli?"

"Butlery~!" The girl didn't hesitate in her response.

Forte chuckled, "good choice. There are actually a couple butlers-in-training here in the Selphia class. Clorica is in this next room here. There aren't a lot of rooms in the dorms, mostly suites. Here we are, Room 428."

She knocked on the door, and another blonde opened it, her pointed ears protruding from behind her long, nearly loose hair. The front sections were wrapped with ribbon and flowers, and the rest of it was down. "Aah, Forte! Come in, come in!"

Forte smiled, "hey Meg, I'm just here to introduce our new roomie."

Meg then noticed Lorena and grinned, her blue eyes sparkling. "Hey there! I'm Margaret, but you can just call me Meg~!"

Lorena giggled, "I'm Lorena, but you can call me Lolli!"

Meg nodded, "cute name~! Now, come in, I'll introduce you to the other girls."

The pair from Room 427 stepped in, and Meg called, "new girl, people!"

Four other girls emerged from various doorways in the suite, and Lorena smiled. "Hi! The name's Lorena!"

A girl with two lavender braids yawned tiredly, "hello. I'm Clorica, it's nice to meet you."

Lorena gasped, "OH, the butler! I wanna be a butler too~!"

Clorica smiled lazily, "that's nice…"

A girl with a bright green bob jumped out from behind the exhausted looking student and smothered Lorena with a hug. "Hiya! I'm Amber, and I hope we can be friends~!"

The taller girl squeezed her tightly and said, "of course! And thanks for the hug - I LOVE hugs!"

Amber giggled as she pulled away, and Lorena noticed that she had two pink antennae like things on top of her head. "Yay~! There's plenty more where that came from!"

As the two laughed together, another girl stepped forward, her hand extended. "Hello, Lorena, I'm Frey."

Amber whispered loudly behind her hand, "the female class representative."

Frey brushed one of her knee length green pigtails aside as she said, "oh please, Amber, don't do that. No formalities, I'm just another student!"

Lorena considered for a moment before nodding, "yeah, okay!"

A girl spoke up from beside Frey, her quiet voice difficult to hear. "H-Hello, Lorena…"

Frey grinned and put an arm around the platinum blonde girl's shoulders. "This is my adoptive sister, Aralina."

Aralina smiled timidly, "it's nice to meet you…"

Lorena hopped a little as she stood, still full of energy. "It's nice to meet you too, Aralina~!"

Aralina smiled a little, the corners of her silver flecked tiffany blue eyes crinkling merrily.

After chatting for a little while, Forte asked, "hey, is the She-Devil in?"

Meg frowned a little, "Forte, that's not nice!"

The ponytailed girl shrugged, "what, that's what a lot of people call her!"

Meg crossed her arms, "still, it's not nice. And yes, she is. I haven't seen her leave her room today."

Forte nodded, "thanks Meg. Come along, Lolli."

Lorena stood from where she'd been looking at flower pictures with Amber. "Coming! It was nice to meet you all!"

The girls chorused their goodbyes as Lorena skipped beside Forte.

The knight in training glanced over at her, "do you ever run out of energy?"

Lorena shook her head, "not really!"

Chuckling, Forte paused beside the last door in the hall. '426' was painted on in big, black letters. "We're here. Beware, she may not be as eager to make friends as you are, Lolli."

Lorena stood tall and nodded, "okay."

Her companion knocked on the door, and a little shuffling was heard inside. The door was pulled open by a very tall girl with silver hair that fell to her knees and cold, piercing light green eyes. "What do you want?" She demanded.

"Just here to introduce the newbie." Forte said in a cool tone, her pale face expressionless.

Lorena mentally shrugged it off. _She can't be that bad! I'm gonna make her my friend!_ "Hi there, I'm Lorena, but you can call me Lolli~!"

The girl stood in the doorway, regarding her coldly. "I'm Kiko. And I won't call you Lolli."

Lorena was taken aback. "Oh, okay. Well, it was just a suggestion!"

Kiko grunted and slammed the door.

"Whoa… she isn't very nice, is she?" Lorena remarked.

"Told you." Forte sighed. "Well, let's keep going. Here, let's go back out of the girl's dorm…"

Leading her new friend down the hall, Forte pushed open the door that led back out of the dorm.

Lorena followed her out into the brightly lit hallway, thinking about Kiko. _I will make her my friend…_

"So, here we have a hall that connect to all the other female dorms, and if you go through the other side of that dorm, you'll find your class's lobby. On the other side of that lobby is the guys' dorm, which are all also connected."

Lorena nodded slowly, "uh, I think I get it…"

Forte chuckled, "okay, so if you go all the way through the Selphia female dorms, you'll be at the Selphia lobby. Straight through the lobby is the Selphia male dorm, and all the guy dorms are connected like the girls' ones. Get it better now?"

The cheerful girl wagged her head quickly up and down. "Yeah, I do, I do!"

The blonde student sighed, "just like Kiel…"

Lorena cocked her head, "what was that?"

Forte shook her head, "ack, sorry! It's just you're kind of… oblivious and naive. Like my little brother, Kiel."

The younger teen shrugged, "okay, that works!"

Forte laughed lightly at Lorena's attitude, "how old are you, anyway?"

Lorena grinned proudly, "seventeen~!"

Forte nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a 'ding!' from her pocket. Fishing around in the pocket of her dark blue and silver dress, she pulled out a watch. "Ah! So sorry, Lolli, but I have a meeting with a few other knights in training. Will you be alright?"

Lorena gave a confident thumbs-up, "I'll be fine! Don't worry about me - I have a terrific sense of direction!"

Looking amused, Forte smiled, "well then, I guess I'll be off. See you!"

"Buh-bye~!" Lorena waved at her new friend, and looked around the whitewashed hallway. _This place could use some color…_ Strolling down, she saw the exit and pushed it open, the late summer breeze blowing over her.

She giggled as a stray leaf brushed her face, and saw another blowing in the wind. Chasing it happily, she didn't notice the person walking slowly, reading a book, until she smacked into them. "Ouch!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, miss, I didn't see you there!"

Lorena rubbed her head and looked up at the young man who was looking at her through a pair of eyeglasses, a worried expression on his pale face.

"I-It's fine, I'm a-okay!" She moved to get up, but the stranger extended his hand.

"Here, let me." And he helped her up.

"Thanks." When she was righted, Lorena got a proper look at the boy. He was slim, and had chin length blond hair that was cut very straight. Silver glasses perched on his small nose, and his eyes were a lovely shade of dark amber, almost pale orange. He was dressed simply, in a tan button down and black pants. For some odd reason, the girl felt her face heat up. _E-Eh? That's never happened before…_

"You're quite welcome. I don't believe I've seen you around before though, miss. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Arthur, from the Selphia class."

Lorena smiled merrily, "I'm Lorena, but you can call me Lolli! I'm new here, and also in the Selphia class."

Arthur smiled gently, and Lorena found herself admiring his perfect teeth. _What the… huh? Stop it, Lolli! _"Well, how lucky for us, looks like we'll be seeing each other often then."

Lorena nodded, "yeah~! W-Well, catch you later, Arthur!" And with that, she ran past him.

"Haha, what an interesting girl… very cute, too." Arthur chuckled to himself as he resumed his quiet walk.

Lorena flopped onto a bench in the grass, catching her breath. _What just happened?! I never run away from a new friend! But he… he was different…_

The sound of gentle music woke her from her thoughts, and she turned around to see a boy sitting with his back against a tree a few feet behind her, strumming on a guitar as he looked down at it, his white spikey hair the only part of his head that she could see.

After a couple minutes, he looked up, his red gaze landing on her. "Oh. Hello."

Lorena smiled as she stood and walked over to sit by him, "hi! You play beautifully."

The scrawny boy smiled happily, "thanks! The name's Kenji Hiragi."

The girl took the hand he offered her and shook it energetically. "Nice to meet you, Kenji! I'm Lorena, but you can call me Lolli!"

Kenji smiled, "do you like music, Lolli?"

Lorena nodded vigorously, "oh yes, I do! But, uh, ehe, unfortunately, I'm horrible at it. I have just NO sense of pitch…"

Kenji laughed, "I see. I'm new here, arrived last week, so I don't know a lot of people yet… what class are you in?"

The girl was gently twirling a leaf between her fingers as she answered, "Selphia!"

The younger boy nodded, "ah, okay. I'm in the Sharance class. Hey, if you're a Selphian, then you must know Amber."

Lorena responded cheerily, "oh yes, I do! She's amazing~! Why, do you know her?"

Kenji looked at the ground, blushing slightly as he replied, "yeah, she's my best friend…"

Lorena grinned, "I can see why, she's awesome~!"

The boy chuckled, and Lorena stood. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Kenji, but I wanna keep lookin' around! See ya!"

Kenji smiled up at her and readjusted his guitar. "See you!"

Lorena skipped off happily, adding another friend to her ever growing mental list. _Now if I could just find him, boy would he be surprised!_

Her wish was granted when she saw a familiar figure ahead of her, walking with an unfamiliar girl with a golden high ponytail. Running quietly up behind the tall boy, Lorena threw her arms around him from behind, "Vishy~!"

The boy yelled, surprised, and looked down to see the girl gazing up at him adoringly. "L-Lolli?!"

Lorena giggled and released him, putting her hands on her hips. "Yup, you better believe it! Your one and only little sister!"

Vishnal laughed happily and gave her a real hug, which she returned gleefully. "What are you doing here?!"

Lorena turned her head so that she could talk without being muffled by his shirt, "well, you made it sound so amazing here, and I wanna become a butler, just like Volkanon!"

Her brother let go of her and stood grinning. "Awesome! I can't wait until you start classes, I bet you'll love 'em!"

His sister's excited reply was interrupted by a polite cough from beside Vishnal. The boy turned sheepishly to look at his companion, and Lorena also shifted her gaze. The girl's complexion was very fair, and her eyes almost resembled those of… a dragon? It was hard to decipher their color, and the happy-go-lucky girl just gave up. Her outfit was a pretty black and white sailor suit dress, with black boots that had a single pure white strip up the side.

"Ah, sorry! Ami-chan, this is my little sister-"

"Hi, I'm Lorena, but you can call me Lolli!" The slightly headstrong girl took over her own introduction, and Vishnal chuckled.

The girl smiled sweetly at Lorena, "I'm Athena, it's nice to meet you too!"

Lorena squealed, "yay, I hope we can be friends~!"

Athena giggled, "yeah!"

Vishnal cleared his throat and asked playfully, "do I get to say anything, ladies?"

Lorena nodded in mock seriousness, "of course, Sir Vishnal, you have the floor."

Her brother chuckled and responded, "I don't want the floor, too big. I just wanted to tell you that this is Ami-chan, Lolli."

Lorena stood still for a couple seconds before realization dawned obviously on her sweet face. "OH, Ami-chan! Your best friend! I've heard a lot about you."

Athena laughed lightly, "I hope it was good stuff."

"But of course~! Vishy thinks very highly of you-"

Her sentence was cut off by Vishnal covering her mouth. "Ah, sorry Ami-chan, sometimes Lolli doesn't think about what she's saying…"

Lorena, after a lot of grunting, managed to pull his hand off her face. "Of course I do, silly. _After_ I say it~!"

Vishnal facepalmed, "that doesn't count, Lolli!"

The girl giggled, "does too~!"

Athena chuckled, and Lorena saluted. "Well, I'm off to explore more before he corrects me and my silly comebacks don't work anymore. See ya!"

The blonde waved and called out kindly, "talk to you later!"

Lorena ran again, something she did a lot. As she sped around, she admired the big, lush grass and gardens that surrounded her, inside the enormous ring of buildings on the several-hundred-acre campus. Slowing, she read the sign above one doorway, "Crafting and Forging. Cool, sounds interesting - time to check it out!"

She pulled open the heavy door with some difficulty, and stepped into a hallway illuminated with red lights. She walked into the first room and saw a figure bending over an accessory table, her long, dark brown hair falling in luxurious waves down her back.

Lorena skipped over and started, "hi- ah!" Only to be met with a pair of pliers mere inches from her nose.

"Ah, sorry! Nice to meet you, I'm Amora!" The girl immediately placed the tool back on the table and smiled cheerfully.

"Nice to meet you too, I'm Lorena, but you can call me Lolli if you want!" Lorena was still a little startled from nearly losing an eye, but she grinned anyway.

Amora chuckled sheepishly, "ehe, I'm really sorry about that, Lolli, I promise it won't happen again! … Probably."

Lorena laughed, "it's okay, well totally good. I'll just leave you to your crafting. See you later~!"

Her new friend waved her fingers, "bye now!"

Lorena stepped out of the accessory shop and went into the next room. It had a forge in the corner, and a young man stood at the fire, holding a blade into the flame. He was very tall and muscular, but the girl didn't let that intimidate her. "Hello~!"

The boy turned, his head slightly, "just a sec, almost done…"

He pulled the blade from the fire and cooled it. Turning around to face Lorena, he grinned, the action lighting up his slightly sharp features. "Hey there! I don't recognize you… are you new here?"

Lorena nodded, "you betcha! I'm Lorena, but you can call me Lolli, if you want! I'm in the Selphia class."

The boy ran a hand through his tousled red hair, the color of which nearly matched the hue of the flames in the furnace. "Proud of your classhood, aren't you? I'm Ronan, and I'm in Selphia too!"

Lorena gasped, "really? Yay! Selphia has some awesome members!"

Ronan smiled, "they sure do. That's what they're known for around the school, you know, friendly people and combat skills! We have some decent cooks too, w-well, except Vishnal…"

The girl rolled her eyes, "tell me about it. My brother is like the worst cook _ever_."

Surprise flickered in Ronan's vibrant green eyes, "he's your brother?"

Nodding proudly, Lorena replied, "of course! He's amazing, and I'm gonna train to be a butler, just like he is!"

Ronan chuckled as he turned back to his blade, which was done cooling. "Well, I wish you luck, Lorena."

The girl grinned happily as she headed for the hallway, "thanks!"

Back in the corridor, Lorena wandered down a bit, gazing at the various tools and weapons hung on the walls. Some had plaques beside them, showing how important they were, and one was… a lollipop?! The childish young woman giggled as she paused beside it, then quieted when she heard a commotion.

"Please, Bado, don't tell them!" The voice sounded like a teenage girl, and Lorena inched her way into the doorway from which the voices were coming.

"I don't know, Esumi, I think I should. It's just not right." An almost gruff voice responded, and Lorena saw a blue haired man talking to a girl with a blonde low ponytail.

"Please, Bado, please please please?!" The poor girl was nearly on her knees, hands clasped in front of her, her best puppy dog expression on her pale face.

"Oh come on, Esumi, you know I can't resist that face! … Fine, I won't tell them. Happy?"

Squealing, the girl nodded and ran for the doorway. And straight into Lorena. "Oops, so sorry!"

Lorena smiled, "it's okay, I'm Lorena, but you can call me Lolli!"

The green eyed elf shook Lorena's hand energetically, "nice to meetcha, I'm Esumi!"

Grinning, Lorena shook back, her hand pumping up and down. "Nice to meet you too!"

Esumi's eyebrows creased playfully, and she moved her arm even harder, and Lorena felt a bead of sweat drop down her temple.

"Haha, you think you're gonna beat Esumi with those chicken arms?" The guy from the room laughed from beside the pair, and Lorena let go of Esumi's hand, turning to the man.

"C-Chicken arms?!

He nodded, "oh yeah. I bet you can't even lift a sword!"

Frowning, the blue haired girl put her hands on her hips, "I'll have you know that I use Dual Blades AND I throw knives, so there! Mister… um…"

"Bado. And I'm along with being Esumi here's uncle, I'm one of the forging instructors."

Lorena gulped, "uh, geez, sorry~! I hope this won't affect my grades!"

Bado chuckled playfully and winked, "we'll see."

Esumi rolled her eyes, "he's just teasing you, Lolli. Well, I have to go, I'll see you around, 'kay?"

Lorena nodded, "yeah!"

Esumi jogged down the hallway, and Lorena bid Bado farewell as she left to tour more of the campus.

Outside once more, the curious new girl strolled happily into a garden. Inhaling deeply, Lorena began to hum, rather off-key. Rounding a corner of Pink Cat beds, she paused. In front of her sat, cross legged on the ground, a boy with blond hair that fell straight, his bangs covering his left eye. He glanced up from the book that sat in his lap, the baby blue eye that Lorena could see blinking coldly.

"Uh, hi!" Lorena skipped over to stand in front of him, and he ignored her rudely.

"My name's Lorena, what's yours?" She insisted.

Sighing in slight exasperation, he looked up to meet her friendly gaze for a moment. "Rye."

Lorena grinned, "nice to meet you, Rye! You can call me Lolli."

Rye pursed his lips, "or not."

Taken aback, Lorena stood silently for a moment. Shrugging, she giggled, "okay, you don't have to~!"

Rye didn't respond at all. Lorenna stood awkwardly for a couple minutes, then slid a foot backwards. "Sooo, I'm gonna go now… I'll see you around!"

After getting no response from the boy, she turned and left, sighing. _I will make him my friend! And Kiko… this is gonna be a busy year. _

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**And there you have it! Please leave a review with what you thought, good or not very good! ;P Lol. I love reviews, and I'm fueled by 'em. More reviews, sooner updates! ... maybe. :-/ Heehee. And please tell me if you thought someone was OOC.**

**OC Disclaimer list: I do not own the following OCs, however, I do have permission to use them.**

**Rye - Mizashi Haruka**

**Ronan - My sister, Aoife**

**Esumi - Kiko Kei**

**Kiko Akira - Kiko Akira**

**Aralina - Luna543**

**Kenji Hiragi - Whitetiger Axel**

**Athena - Asashin ojo**

**Amora - CupcakeQueenLuv**

**Ecila - My sister Maple**

**And don't worry if your OC didn't make it into this chapter, they will (probably) be in the next one. Ja ne~!**

**~Swaggy-chan**


	3. More Friends, And Maybe Enemies

**Hello again!**

**Thank you all SOSOSO much for your reviews, they mean a lot to me! :D Here is the next chapter, and I really hope you all like it. Now, due to not wanting everything to be rushed, there are still some OCs that haven't appeared yet, but don't worry - they'll be in the next chappie for sure! ^v^ Oh, and I am very busy with real life stuff nowadays, and I have quite a fics I'm working on, so I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update everything... but I will try my best to update as often as possible!**

**Oh, and OC submissions are officially closed. Thanks to all who submitted! :D**

**[Edit: There's a poll on my profile for all fellow RF lovers~! ^v^]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY Rune Factories, and if I did, then in Frontier you would be able to play as a girl and marry Erik. XD Heehee~! I also do not own any OCs except Lorena, the OC disclaimer list for the new ones will be at the bottom. Enjoy!**

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Lorena wandered through the halls of the main school building, checking out the classrooms. She heard a pair of voices in the hallway around the corner, and she peeked her head around, not wanting to interrupt them.

"So, fighting studies this year will be pretty rough, huh?" A boy was talking, and he had messy brown hair that a zigzag patterned blue and white bandana attempted to hold back.

The girl flipped her long black hair over her shoulder and shrugged, "meh, I don't know about that - I'm ready for anything."

The boy didn't seem bothered by her cold tone as he replied, "I should've guessed. Fighting doesn't ever really worry you, Erin."

The girl chuckled, "of course not."

Lorena decided that it was time for her to meet these people. "Hiya!"

The boy jumped and yelped, startled. "Ack!"

Lorena grinned apologetically, "ah, sorry, didn't mean to scare ya!"

He smiled sheepishly, "no, it's okay. I haven't seen you before… are you a new student?"

Lorena nodded, "yup! I'm Lorena, but you can call me Lolli~!"

The brown haired boy inclined his head politely, "I'm Kyle. And this is my best friend, Erin Stephenson."

Erin raised an eyebrow at her, "hi."

The newer student hopped on one foot energetically, "it's nice to meet you~!"

Erin blinked, her pale face emotionless. "Sure."

Kyle chuckled, "ehehe, w-well, I guess we'll be going. Erin isn't very sociable… we'll see you around, Lolli!"

Lorena grinned and waved at them as they rounded the corner behind her, and she puffed out her cheeks. "Hmm… not very sociable… well, they were nice~!"

She began to skip down the hallway, humming another off-pitch song.

"ugh, is that awful noise _you_?!" Lorena stopped short at the sound of a voice and turned to see a girl stepping out of a classroom, her slender arms crossed.

"What awful noise? Me?" The blunette was completely oblivious. _Is she talking about my humming?_ "O-Oh, you mean my humming? I'm super sorry, it's just I like to do it, but I'm just terrible and the funny thing is-"

"Save it."

Lorena was taken aback. "I-I'm sorry?"

The girl flipped some of her long black hair over her shoulder and said in a condescending tone, "you heard me. Save it. I don't wanna hear your little stories, I don't wanna hear your humming, gee, I don't even wanna hear your pathetic voice! Go away!"

Biting her lip, Lorena ventured, "I'm sorry, I think we got off on the wrong foot. Hi, I'm Lorena, but you can call me Lolli, if you wan-"

"I don't want. Great, now I know your name. Fantastic." Her fierce and sarcastic voice made Lorena cower a little. "You know what? You better watch out for me, _Lorena_. Because this year you're in for a world of-"

"Hey, stop it Maxxine!"

Lorena whirled around to face the newcomer - scratch that, newcomer_s._ The girl that spoke stood with one hand on her hip and an angry look in her blue eyes.

Maxxine glared at the short girl, "make me, Elena."

Elena balled her fists and narrowed her eyes, "oh, I will. Now scram, or I'll send Mr. Invincible after you!"

Maxxine chuckled haughtily, but a hint of fear lurked in her icy blue eyes. "Your little golem doesn't scare me, _sister_!"

The blonde bit her cheek angrily as she retorted, "_step_ sister! Now, go on, get outta here! You know I'll do it, even if James punishes me!"

Maxxine narrowed her eyes at the ferocious girl and shrugged, appearing nonchalant. "Fine. See you later in the dorms, sissy."

Elena huffed as she watched the dark haired female walk off. Sighing, she turned to Lorena apologetically, "I'm really sorry about that. She's like the queen mean bee here, and she doesn't have any friends. For good reason! I'm ashamed to be… steply related to her."

Lorena smiled a little, "it's okay, it wasn't your fault. Thanks for chasing her away, though!"

The short blonde girl gave her a thumbs-up, "that's what I'm here for~!"

Lorena giggled, but interrupted herself, gasping. "WAIT! You said she has… no friends?"

Elena shrugged, "yeah, everybody hates her. She doesn't exactly make herself likeable… so who cares?"

Lorena considered for a moment before nodding, "I do! New task: befriend Maxxine~!"

Elena shook her head, "wow, you're an odd one… it was Lorena, right?"

The girl nodded, "eeyup! But you can just call me Lolli, Elena!"

The blonde smiled, "okay! Oops, here, let me introduce you to my companions here. This is Diana, but we call her Dee!"

Diana smiled, her hazel brown eyes shining. "Hi. Sorry about Maxxine. It's always terrible when someone does that, especially a fellow classman."

Lorena waved her hand, "nah, it's all in the past, don't worry about it!"

Elena grinned, "and this is Gaius."

A dwarf with black hair that was swept into spikes and a triangular tattoo on his face going from the right side of his jaw to above his closed right eye nodded. "Hey."

"And Diana's big brother, Nathaniel!"

A boy with dirty-blond hair and a scar on his cheek that looked like an 'x' smiled. "H-Hello."

Elena took a big breath, "and… Joe, Sofia, Raven, Evelyn and Odette!"

The four people chuckled at Elena's quirky behavior and waved simultaneously. Joe, or at least Lorena thought it was Joe, due to the fact that he was the only boy out of the four, winked. "Howya doin'?"

A girl with a bright purple side ponytail smacked him upside the head, "oi, no flirting! Hey, I'm Odette, nice to meet you!"

Another bright purple haired girl smiled, "it's **awful** to meet you."

The girl beside her, who had violet hair and sort of resembled her, giggled, "ah, forgive Sofia, Lolli. She speaks in opposites. She got it from our father, you see. I'm Evelyn, by the way!"

The last girl, Raven, held her head down a little into her vibrant red hair and said softly, "hi."

Lorena grinned, "nice to meet you all!"

Elena nodded, "alrighty then, we've got to go - we'll see you around, Lolli!"

Lorena giggled, "yeah! See you~!"

After the group left, chatting amiably, Lorena began to talk to herself. "I wonder if I'll make any good friends… and have a group of people to walk around with. I bet I will!"

"Now Lorena, don't be so sure - you know you're not very good looking.

"Oh shush, you! Stop putting yourself down! … But it's true, isn't it…"

"Eeyup."

Lorena sighed after her conversation with herself. "Who knew I was such a downer?"

Emerging from the building full of classrooms, Lorena blinked in the sudden sunlight. Looking around, she inhaled deeply the scent of a dying summer.

"Hi!"

Squeaking in surprise, Lorena whirled around and was face-to-face with a pleasant looking young man. His spiky brown hair just reached his ears and his brown eyes were full of warmth. He stood at about her own height, maybe an inch or so higher. "O-Oh, hi!"

The boy grinned, "I'm Navarre, nice to meet you!"

Lorena reached out and grasped the hand he offered, shaking it energetically. "Hi! I'm Lorena, but you can call me Lolli!"

Navarre chuckled, "okay then! I heard you talking to yourself…

Lorena paled. "Oh, uh, about that, I'm not-"

"It's okay, I do it too!" He smiled reassuringly, and the young woman's jaw fell slightly.

"R-Really?" Her response was incredulous.

"Sure. I mean, I'm a pretty fantastic person to hold a conversation with." Navarre said playfully, and Lorena laughed.

"I'm sure you are."

The young man patted his suitcase, "well, I better get to my dormitory - see you around!"

Lorena nodded, "yeah, see you!"

Navarre smiled kindly before trudging off with his luggage. Alone again, Lorena wandered again, not really knowing what to do, since she had no idea where anything was. Humming to herself again, she just skipped around inside the enormous ring of buildings. Looking around, she gasped and stared. A sign with an arrow that pointed out of the grassy courtyard of sorts read, 'Monster Barns'. Squealing, she hurried along the stony path to the barns. Standing in front of the first large building, she read the little sign: 'Monsters level 1 through 20'. Giggling with glee, the girl pushed open the heavy door with some difficulty.

"Hello?" She walked in, looking at the stalls that held various creatures. After walking down the aisle for a little less than a minute, she squealed and rested her arms on the door of a stall. The Chipsqueek inside looked up at her curiously, one of it's tasseled ears twitching.

"Aaawww~!~" She cooed and reached her hand down, sweet talking to the little creature. It hopped over to her hand and nuzzled it as she giggled.

"He likes you."

The voice made Lorena jump slightly and she turned her head to see a girl about a year younger than her standing, leaning against the wall.

"Really?" Lorena grinned at the ponytailed redhead. "You think so?"

The pale girl nodded, "of course. After all, he's mine - I know when he likes someone, and I think he has a crush on you~!"

Lorena giggled, "you're funny! What's his name?"

The stranger's green eyes blinked slowly as she gazed pridefully at the red monster, "Horace. I caught him last year, in the woods. He's almost ready to graduate to the next level barn."

Lorena smiled, "that's awesome! I'm sure he's super excited." And she went back to scratching the animal. After a few seconds, she chuckled and turned back to the elf sheepishly. "Uh, sorry, I plum forgot to introduce myself! I'm Lorena, but you can call me Lolli!"

The elf girl smiled and inclined her head politely, "Roisin."

"Rosheen?" Lorena quirked an eyebrow.

"Ahaha, yeah, it's Irish. Don't worry, it's all complicated and spelled totally differently."

Lorena felt a bead of sweat on her temple as she replied, "yeah, I'm sure…"

Roisin laughed, "well, I've got to get this little guy out for his training, if he wants to level up. It was nice meeting you, Lolli."

"Yeah, it was nice meeting you, too!" Lorena grinned at the girl as she slipped into the stall and whispered to Horace before the pair trotted off.

Humming quietly again, Lorena meandered down the hall, taking in all the Woolies, and the Thunderbirds, and even a level six Buffazoo, which she carefully skirted around. She skipped and cooed at all the cute little monsters, the Pomme Pommes and the Woolies and the Cluckadoodles, she loved them all. _This is practically heaven… if there were cupcakes. _She giggled and turned a corner and abruptly stopped to avoid running into a girl that stood at the door to a stall.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't see you there!" Lorena apologized immediately, and the girl smiled gently at her.

"It's alright."

Lorena looked the girl over. She very pretty, and had light brown skin and bright blue eyes. Her Iris blue hair was short, and mostly covered by a maid's cap. She was slender and about the same height as Lorena, with sweet facial features.

"My name's Lorena, but you can call me Lolli!" The girl wasted no time in extending her hand and introducing herself.

"I'm Tabatha." Tabatha smiled sweetly at Lorena as she shook her hand delicately. "Do you like monsters, too?"

Lorena nodded emphatically, "oh yes, I adore them! Well, most of them. Some of them scare me…"

Tabatha giggled quietly and turned back to the Big Mushroom that she was gently hand feeding some fodder. "Oh, I love them all… they're so sweet and unique… even the frightening ones."

Lorena smiled and looked at Tabatha with more respect. "Wow, that's amazing! I can hardly get near the scary ones…"

Tabatha looked up from feeding the creature and chuckled. "I'm sure you'll warm up to them, Lolli."

The other young lady grinned, "thanks, Tabatha!"

Tabatha's response was interrupted by the sound of running feet and a voice calling out her name. "Tabatha!"

Tabatha straightened, much to the Big Mushroom's dissatisfaction, and said loudly, "over here."

Two girls came running around the corner, narrowly avoiding Lorena.

The first one, a girl with short pink pigtails, grinned sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that!"

Lorena smiled, "no problem. I'm Lorena, by the way. You can call me Lolli!"

The girl returned the gesture and shook her hand, "nice to meet you Lolli! I'm Melody, and this is Ashley."

Lorena turned to the girl that Melody indicated and looked her over. She had long brown hair that fell in large curls to the middle of her back, dark blue eyes, and smooth olive skin. She was wearing a red shirt with blue skinny jeans and a black leather jacket that matched her ballet flats. "Nice to meet you!" Lorena extended her hand.

Ashley took it and shook firmly, "right back atcha!"

Melody, back to business, turned to Tabatha. "Hey Tabs, Bianca's looking for you. I think she's gonna have a conniption fit…"

Tabatha laughed lightly, "what's wrong now?"

The rather petite young woman adjusted the enormous red witch's hat on her head and shrugged. "I think she said something about that 'idiot' Mihr from Fenith spilling something on her dress… but I dunno. She just insisted that she needed her best friend, and I've been looking for you for a while. I hope she hasn't died."

Tabatha smiled gently, the corners of her light blue eyes crinkling amusedly. "Well, I'll be off then. It was nice to meet you, Lolli."

Lorena waved as the trio left the barn, "nice to meet you too!"

Bidding the Big Mushroom farewell, Lorena finished her tour of the barn and stepped out into the waning light. Frowning, she pulled her pocket watch from her white and light pink dress and gasped. "Oh no, it's 18:00! I'm supposed to be at the Selphia lobby!" And with that, she rushed off as fast as she could go.

Since running is one of the things Lorena does best, she was at the girls' dormitory in record time. _Yes! Now, as long as I can not trip and fall on my face…._ She rushed through the corridor and down the stairs. Stopping abruptly, she straightened her long hair and her clothes before pushing open the door to her class lobby.

Everyone else was there, seated on sofas that were arranged in a ring. Lorena glanced around, trying to find a seat. A movement caught her eye, and she saw a certain long silver haired girl waving at her. Lorena grinned and walked over to sit beside her roommate.

Venti whispered, "you're late, but it's okay - we're waiting for someone."

Lorena nodded, "thanks Venti." Her gaze swept over all the people in the room, who were chatting softly amongst themselves. Well, except for two - Kiko and Rye each sat at opposite ends of one couch, with no one in between them, she was glaring at everyone and he just read the book in his lap. Lorena's orbs lingered on them for a moment before moving on. Meg and Forte were whispering excitedly, Ecila and Dolce looked like they were having a deep conversation, Xiao Pai and Amber exchanged jokes, Frey and Aralina were playing rock paper scissors, and Clorica was… sleeping.

Vishnal waved at his little sister from his seat beside a redhaired dwarf and a blond boy who looked pretty young. Lorena waved excitedly back and looked at all the people she didn't know. There was a guy with long, silvery green hair and fox's ears, one with long dark blue hair and… were those horse ears? There was also a young man with black hair that was styled in sideways spikes, and his eyes were forest green. Lorena noted the scar beneath his left eye before looking around more. She felt her face heat up when she saw Arthur, chatting with Ronan. _Wha… huh? That feels weird…_ She shook the feeling as Venti turned to her, "right?!"

Lorena blinked vacantly, "huh?"

Her roomie rolled her pretty blue eyes, "seriously, you didn't hear a word I just said?!"

The blue haired girl shook her head sheepishly. Venti huffed and crossed her slim arms, "humph, nobody ever listens to me."

Lorena giggled, "sorry Venti."

The petite girl just grunted.

"Okay, may I have your attention please?"

Lorena looked up as a woman entered the lounge. She had a long red braid and a monocle sat in front of one of her vibrant blue eyes. Silence settled over all the young people.

"Thank you. Now, I am Illuminata, and I'll be your class' leader this year. In other words, I'm the responsible adult." She winked cheekily, and everyone laughed lightly. Her next words were interrupted by a sweet, young sounding voice.

"Ahh, sorry I'm late!"

All heads in the room turned to the doorway from the girls' dorms to see a short girl standing sheepishly. Her red hair was extremely long and her eyes were sparkling white. Although the right one was rather odd…

"It's alright, dear, just come sit down." Illuminata said kindly, and the student skipped over to the couches and sat down beside Amber.

"As I was saying," the woman continued, "I am in charge of you all. Haha! So, for starters, let's have introductions, shall we? Starting with… our male class representative!"

A boy across the room stood, and smiled cheerfully, "hello. I'm Lest."

Illuminata nodded at the green haired boy, "short but sweet. Now just continue in a circle, please."

The guy beside Lest stood gracefully and introduced himself. "Greetings all, I am Leon."

When he resumed his seated position, his fox ears twitching, the young man beside his stood. "Dylas." And promptly sat back down.

The guy on the end of the next couch hopped up. "I'm Kiel!"

Lorena's brother stood after the shorter boy and said, "my name is Vishnal."

_Polite as always,_ his sister thought as he took a seat. The redheaded dwarf stood and announced, "I'm Doug, the coolest guy around." He grinned smugly at Dylas as he sat back down, and the other boy's ears twitched visibly.

The black haired young man stood and said simply, "Jin Hanamura."

Beside Jin, Arthur stood and inclined his head politely, "Arthur Lawrence."

After the blond sat down the guy seated next to him stood, "I'm Ronan!" And sat again, all in one fluid movement.

Next was the quiet couch. Not bothering to stand up, the young man said softly, "Rye."

His couch companion followed suit, although her voice carried further and held a note of contempt. "Kiko Akira."

The girls each introduced themselves, Frey, who was apparently Lest's sister, having to encourage Aralina, Ecila blushing when Venti snickered at her playfully, and Xiao Pai nearly falling on her face. Just from standing up.

When it reached the new girl, she bounced up and said cheerfully, "I'm Kikuchi Hitomi, but you can all call me Kiku-chan~!"

Lorena grinned at the young girl, who looked to be about fifteen. _She seems nice…_ Her thoughts were interrupted by her roommate standing importantly and announcing, "I am Ventuswill, the Divine Wind!"

There was a moment of silence before Leon spoke up, obviously trying to smother a chuckle, "again, Venti? You tried that last year, too. You've been here before, we know you're not a god."

The petite girl stuck her tongue out at her classmate. Obviously both of them had been there last year. "Fine, call me Venti." She sat down huffily and elbowed Lorena.

The girl giggled and stood. "I'm Lorena, but you all can call me Lolli!"

She sat back down and was apparently the last one, because Illuminata clapped her hands. "Alright, that's about it! Now you can all go eat supper and go to bed - classes start bright and early in the morning! You all should have your schedules, so, ta-ta!" And with that, the elegant woman left.

"Well, I'm gonna go get some food. Coming?" Venti asked Lorena, still looking sullen.

Her friend laughed, "sure, why not?" _Classes start tomorrow. I wonder what they'll be like… yippee~!_

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**There ya go! Please leave a review, they seriously make my day. ^^ OC disclaimer!**

**I do not own the following OCs, however I do have permission to use them:**

**Erin Stephenson, she belongs to Erine28**

**Maxxine, she belongs to Asashin ojo**

**Diana and Nathaniel, they belong to FaithfulWater**

**Navarre Hanawa, he belongs to AIYF Productions**

**Roisin, she belongs to my big sis, Aoife!**

**Ashley, she belongs to sunflowergirl12**

**Mihr (he was a cameo), he belongs to Wraith's Heart**

**Jin Hanamura, he belongs to Shadowplayer360**

**Kikuchi Hitomi, she belongs to Kikuchi Hitomi.**

**Thank you all for reading, sending OCs, favoriting, following, and being awesome! :) Until we meet again!**

**~Swaggy-chan**


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